MIDWEST FISHING REPORT
HOPE QUOTE: “I did catch one 9-pound male king that was already turning colors last Saturday so it won’t be long until they start heading in for the shore, guys,’’ Andy Mikos said.
AREA LAKES: Ken “Husker’’ O’Malley: Bass best last 1½ hours of day on a Baby 1-Minus on inside weed edges or shoreline cattails. AREA RIVERS: CHICAGO: Capt. Pat Harrison: Mix of bluegills, crappie and bass downtown; water in the mid-70s. KANKAKEE: Water is very low; lots of catfishermen out, so that bite must be on; I had best smallmouth action on spinners in mainstream riffles. CHAIN: Triangle: White and yellow bass best 6:30 p.m. to dark on Flicker Shads, Salmo Hornets and No. 3 Mepps, look for shad busting, best on Marie, Fox and Pistakee; catfish are good all over on stinkbait or cutbait; early morning topwaters for bass; muskie are quite shallow near shore.
DELAVAN/GENEVA, WIS.: DELAVAN: Dave Duwe: Variable fishing, but largemouth in active schools are “phenomenal’’ when found in 13-15 ft.; bluegill, when on, are in the same depth. GENEVA: Duwe: Best bite is walleye at night in 15-17; otherwise bluegill are good in 16-18; lakers are good in main lake basin (108-120).
LAKEFRONT: Henry’s: Best are rock bass and smallmouth inside the harbors. Park Bait: Occasional steelhead at Montrose; a few perch caught Sunday. Ron Rezek: Smallmouth and drum in harbors with Ned rig. Capt. Bob Poteshman: Out of Chicago, mainly lakers with an occasional steelhead, coho or king. Out of North Point, starting to catch a few kings on the hill, early mornings are much better; otherwise they are fishing lakers, coho and a fair amount of steelhead in 160-300 ft. Andy Mikos: Some big kings, but need to go early (lines set by 5 a.m.). Capt. Scott Wolfe: Waukegan fishing improving with morning laker limits with occasional steelhead and king on the reefs; later it is working deeper (160-200).
LaSALLE: Darryl Turner: Good blue catfish, to 24 pounds; bluegill bite going good, too.
N. WIS.: Kurt Justice: Largemouth (wacky worming, Ned rigs or creature baits in weeds best) and bluegill (small leeches or worms along deep edges) are very good; smallmouth and pike are good. NW IND.: Slez’s: Lots of steelhead (and people) in Trail Creek; salmon and trout best in 100-125 straight out of Burns Ditch and east toward Michigan City; perch slow and small.
ST. JOSEPH, MICH.: Tackle Haven: Lakers with a few, but nice, kings in 110-130 ft.; perch very slow.
SHABBONA: Lakeside: All sorts of catfish being caught on all sorts of baits/lures; crappie, take sorting, are being caught in the cribs; bass hitting topwaters by dam face; walleye are hit and miss.
WOLF RIVER, WIS.: WINNECONNE: Gary Bloom: “Great weekend’’ for walleye with bonus crappie and bluegill, even some white bass.